When you disagree with a co-worker or other peer, the most professional thing to do is to go directly to that person first. How do you do that? Differences of opinion can be so uncomfortable! Cindy and Alison discuss ways to approach disagreements that help you feel more comfortable, and avoid adult tattling and gossip.
Why are children afraid of trying new food? There's an answer to that question that will blow your mind! Join Cindy and Alison to find out what causes the fear and how we can avoid making it a life-long issue.
When is it okay to pivot from the curriculum or do things that are not in the plan? Join Cindy and Alison to discuss when and where to draw a line on pivoting in your plans and curriculum guidance.
Join Cindy and Alison for a lively discussion about the similarities between early childhood education and being a good improv comedian.
We know that children need their good deeds acknowledged, so we have stickers, pompom jars, certificates of recognition, and other tools. Slowly but surely, we need to stretch and phase out external rewards. Children need to find internal motivation to do the right thing. Cindy and Alison discuss stretching and phase out the external as the motivation becomes internalized.
Join Cindy and Alison for an episode inspired by the day commemorating the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Use this opportunity to think about the inequities that still exist and what we need to do to make our early childhood programs a safe haven.
We often discuss Adverse Childhood Experiences but rarely discuss Positive Childhood Experiences (PCE). Join Cindy and Alison to learn about one impactful thing you can do to positively impact children's future mental health. Then, go to https://patreon.com/HowPreschoolTeachersDoIt , join for only $5 per month and learn about more PCEs!
Join Cindy and Alison for a very special rewind of an episode recorded so long ago that we didn't record a video! We hope you enjoy this episode about crisscross applesauce and other early childhood practices.
In this lost but still very relevant episode, Cindy and Alison talk about how we can support children's understanding of how to play. Teachers today talk about the fact that children have been exposed to less meaningful play. Play is essential for learning. Join Cindy and Alison for a discussion about how we can help them.
The New Year is upon us, and we can start fresh! What can you leave in the past? Cindy and Alison talk about starting fresh with our experiences, interactions, and responses to the needs of young children.
Sometimes, we should look at how other fields handle complicated situations and consider how that could help us in early childhood education. Challenging behavior is complicated, so maybe we need to do what Cindy and Alison discuss during this episode!
What is the difference between a skill deficit and a performance deficit? How can that impact my teaching? Join Cindy and Alison for a discussion about working with early learners, their skill deficits, and their performance deficits.
For people to believe they can learn and do new things, they need confidence. Cindy and Alison discuss strategies we can use to help children build the confidence needed to add to their knowledge, skills, and abilities. Are you doing all you can do? Check us out on Patreon for more content, connections, and more! www.patreon.com/HowPreschoolTeachersDoIt
Common words and phrases can have cultural implications or can be taken in ways we don't intend. Join Alison and Cindy for a discussion about being careful when we speak and get some food for thought about what we say. Don't forget to check out our Patreon! We are excited to expand this work with your support and to provide you with bonus content, connections, merch and more! https://patreon.com/HowPreschoolTeachersDoIt
With all good intentions, we often fail to be honest with children about what it takes to learn something new. Positivity can be toxic and we need to prevent children from feeling like hard things should have been easier. Join Cindy and Alison for a conversation about encouraging children while being honest with them.
Are we so focused on what children have and have not mastered that our communication about children's efforts are minimal at best? Cindy and Alison discuss ways to report effort to families during this year's meetings and parent-teacher conferences.
Do you struggle with how to help all of the children in your class? All children benefit from inclusive classrooms where general education and special education students and the teachers are together. Cindy and Alison ask why at 3 years old, those bridges are broken for both children and their teachers. Join us for ideas about how to create bridges that are needed by all.
The foundation for later decoding of words and reading may be different than you think and different from how you were taught. Join Cindy and Alison for this discussion about how to support young children's phonological awareness. Check our Patreon for the resource referred to in the episode: https://patreon.com/HowPreschoolTeachersDoIt
In this special 200th episode of "How Preschool Teachers Do It," Cindy and Alison share the best and worst advice they received for their work with young children.
Respecting and validating children's emotions should take place consistently, even when holiday or family traditions are the cause for big feelings. Cindy and Alison spend this episode talking about how to handle it when a child does not want to participate in what they decide is a scary tradition.
Just like all other skills, the ability to make friends is learned in stages and over time. Join Cindy and Alison to learn about the step-by-step mastery of skills that take place as children learn to connect to their peers and make friends.
One of the behavioral challenges in early childhood is that children think their big emotions are the problem. Cindy and Alison discuss how to help children become problem detectives! How does it work? Hint: It's like peeling an onion. Listen to find out the details!
Why is it important to have both structured and non-structured gross motor activity? Cindy and Alison discuss the importance of planning for brain connections through physical activity.
Why have we concentrated on making cleaning up the center of teaching responsibility? Cindy and Alison ask... and answer.... this question and more in an episode dedicated to considering our practices at clean-up time.
Human behavior is complex. It requires thought, analysis, and an approach that teaches children life lessons. While the research shows that teaching behavior takes time, there are people who would sell you a bag of tricks. Cindy and Alison discuss what to avoid and how to focus efforts in a way that benefits you and the children.
Gain inspiration for revitalizing the often ignored, sometimes neglected science area in your classroom. Cindy and Alison share ideas!
Our relationship with food starts in the early childhood years. We have to think about our approach when children refuse to eat, when we are acknowledging efforts and events and when they grab for dessert first. Join Cindy and Alison for some actual food for thought!
Why is the dramatic play area always a kitchen?! Cindy and Alison talk about inspiring ways to rethink the dramatic play area as you plan for a new school year.
When we hear the phrase "exceptional learner," we may think of children who receive special education services. Special education students are exceptional learners. There are, however, other exceptional learners. Are we doing all we can for those other exceptional learners? What happens to them if we don't? Cindy and Alison discuss another group of children and what we need to do for them.
As we head toward a new school year, we need to think about the connection between how we've handled separation anxiety and the ethics that guide our work. Join Cindy and Alison for a discussion about separation anxiety, professional ethics, and what to do when families want to stay in the classroom.
